This 2002 narrative review by Greis et al. synthesizes the anatomy, microstructure, biomechanics, epidemiology, diagnostic evaluation, tear classification, and surgical decision-making framework for meniscal injury—answering the question of how basic science principles should guide clinical and operative management of meniscal tears.
When evaluating a suspected meniscal tear, your clinical exam with plain films is often sufficient—reserve MRI for inconclusive cases and treat a positive MRI in an older or asymptomatic patient with skepticism.
When you do take a patient to the OR, systematically assess tear pattern, vascular zone, and tissue quality: a peripheral vertical longitudinal tear >10 mm in a stable knee is a repair candidate, not a meniscectomy.
This 2002 narrative review by Greis et al. synthesizes the anatomy, microstructure, biomechanics, epidemiology, diagnostic evaluation, tear classification, and surgical decision-making framework for meniscal injury—answering the question of how basic science principles should guide clinical and operative management of meniscal tears.
When evaluating a suspected meniscal tear, your clinical exam with plain films is often sufficient—reserve MRI for inconclusive cases and treat a positive MRI in an older or asymptomatic patient with skepticism.
When you do take a patient to the OR, systematically assess tear pattern, vascular zone, and tissue quality: a peripheral vertical longitudinal tear >10 mm in a stable knee is a repair candidate, not a meniscectomy.